Finding the Marauder's Map
by beatlesxlove
Summary: While playing a game of hide-and-seek with his cousins, James Sirius stumbles upon the one and only Marauder's Map! What will he do now?
1. Chapter 1

"I'm bored," James Potter complained loudly. It was raining, and he had nothing to do.

His cousins Rose, Hugo, and Victorie were over. So was one of his favorite people in the world, Teddy Lupin. Hugo and his brother Albus were playing a game of Wizard's chess in the corner. Rose and Lily, his younger sister, were sitting on the floor, listening to the wireless.

"I have an idea!" Hugo exclaimed. "Let's play hide-and-seek!"

"I'm in," Albus said. "How about you, Rose?"

"Lily and I would love to play," she replied. "Should we ask Teddy and Victorie if they want to join us?"

Al nodded.

"Hey, Teddy!" James shouted. "Come over here! And bring Victorie with you, too!"

A moment later, Teddy appeared, his hair bright blue, with Victorie following behind him.

"What's up, James?" he asked.

"Do you two wanna play hide-and-seek with all of us?" James asked.

"Sure," Victorie replied, brushing a piece of strawberry blonde hair out of her eyes. "What are the rules?"

"Well," Lily began, "when we usually play hide-and-seek around here, you can hide anywhere you want, except for in the basement or in Mum and Daddy's room."

"Alright then," Victorie said. "Who wants to be it?"

"I'll do it," Teddy offered. "You've got one hundred seconds to hide! I'll start counting here."

James and his cousins all hurried off into different directions. He was determined to find a really good hiding spot.

_Where can I go?_ he thought. _It has to be a good hiding spot where nobody can find me._

As he walked down the hallway, he found the small closet that nobody ever used.

_I should hide here!_ James thought. _Teddy won't be able to find me. Nobody uses this closet anyway._

As he opened the door, he saw Victorie's face staring straight at him.

"Don't hide here!" she hissed. "Find another spot!"

Disappointed, James closed the door to the closet and went to find somewhere else to hide. Unfortunately for him, he found Hugo, Al, and Lily in the other places he had his eyes on.

"What am I going to do now?" he muttered to himself. "All the good places are taken!"

He walked up the stairs, hoping he could find an available hiding spot up there. As soon as James reached the top, he heard Teddy shout,

"Ready or not, here I come!"

In desperation, James ran into his father's study and crawled under the desk.

"OUCH!" he shouted, having hit his head.

The desk shook, causing a few things to fall off and land in front of him.

He looked at the fallen objects. There was a Pocket Sneakscope, a few old pictures of his dad with Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione when they were teens, and a worn, tattered piece of parchment.

James picked up the piece of parchment with interest. Why would his dad have something so… old? Was it important?

Suddenly, writing appeared on the parchment.

James gasped in shock.

_To activate, say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

James stared at the piece of battered parchment. He knew he would probably need a wand to activate the thing, but he knew just what it was.

_Merlin's beard! _James thought. _I've found the Marauder's Map! _

James, being the troublemaker that he was, had been looking for the map ever since his father had told him about the time Uncle Fred and Uncle George had given it to him in his third year. He knew the map was pure gold.

_But,_ James realized,_how am I gonna get this without Dad finding out? _

A few minutes later, he had come up with the perfect plan.

_Excellent, _he thought, grinning. _I'll be able to get this map in no time!_

Later that night, when James was supposed to be asleep, he glanced at the clock that was on his beside table. It read midnight.

James grinned to himself. At this point, he knew everybody in the house would be asleep. Time to put his plan into action!

Quietly, so nobody would wake up, James crept down the long hallway to his father's study. It was completely dark in the room, but he could make out the outline of the huge desk that was pushed against the far wall. He made his way to the desk, fumbling for the handle to the right drawer. James gave the drawer to his left a gentle tug. He squinted to try and make out the contents inside. He rummaged around for a few seconds until he found the Pocket Sneakscope and the pictures he had seen earlier, with his dad, uncle, and aunt smiling and waving at the camera.

He moved more things around the drawer. The map had to be in there, but where was it?

"Looking for something, James?" said a voice behind him.

James jumped, startled, and turned around.

His dad was standing against the wall behind him, smiling.

"H-how did you know I was in here?" James asked, confused.

Harry chuckled.

"Oh, come on James," Harry said, still grinning. "Who else would come in here in the middle of the night to look through their dad's study? Besides, I was coming upstairs, and I heard somebody run in here when you and all your cousins were playing hide-and-seek. Then I heard somebody bang their head. When you shouted 'Ouch,' I knew it was you that was in my study.

"A little while later, I came in and saw a picture that had been on my desk lying on the ground. I knew that picture had been on my desk, and that I had placed that picture and a few others on top of the map. If the pictures had fallen, then the map would've too. And with you being you, I knew you would try to get that map."

"And you were right," James said glumly.

_Damn,_ he thought. _I really thought my plan was going to work!_

His father, however, was still grinning.

"Here, James," he said, holding out the worn parchment. "You were going to end up finding it one day, anyway. Use it well."

James whooped and hugged his father.

"Thanks, Dad!" he said happily. "You're the best!"

**AN: Well, what did you think? Reviews are always welcome!**


End file.
